Safety device for locomotive trucks



on. 13, 1925- 156l39 H. s. JOHNSON swan nsvxcx FOR LOCOMOTIVE TRUCKS IFiled March 3, 1925 Patented Oct. 13, 1925.

UNITED STATE mm s. JoHnsoi o-r 1mm, mama. y

SAFETY DEVICE 'r oa LocoMorivE muons.

Applicationflled MarehB, 19 25. SeriatNo. 12,960.

Y To all whom it may concern:

a citizen of the United States, residing at Erwin, in the county ofUnicoi and State of 5 Tennessee, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Safety Devices for Locomotive Trucks, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had to the.

accompanying drawings. Thls lnventlon relates to safety devices forlocomotlve trucks and more partlcularly to ajdevice for indicatingderailment of the r bent lever 23' isprovided. This lever has truck.

An important object of the invention is 5 to provide a device of thischaracter includ.- ing a signal and means for operating the signal fromthe air line of the engineso that a test may be made of the signal atany time without disturbing the setting of the automatic featureoperating the signal upon derailment of the truck.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device, of thischaracter in which the operating mechanism completes its stroke 5 whenthe valve controlling the signal has been fully opened and movement ofthis operating :mechanism is positively checked, strain upon the valveand air line being thereby avoided.

. A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which is very readily attached to both the engine and truck,which is simple in its construction and operation andwhichmay be verycheaply produced. g F

These and other objects-I attain by the construction shown in theaccompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illusmy inventionandwherein:,

Figure 1 is aside elevation showing a safety device constructed inaccordance with my invention applied to anengine; and t Figure .2 is acombined perspective of the various sections of the safetyfdevi c'eshowing the construction thereof. i Referring now more particularly tothe drawings, the numeral IOindicatesa frame member of the locomotiveand 11 a frame memberof. the front truck 12 of the locomotive. A pipe,leading from the train line or main reservoir is indicated at 13,-thispipe having a cut-off valve 14 arranged therein and having at itsterminal a signal 15 to be perated y ea gee rair-thre gh t e is nal.This si alis to be arranged in thecab [Be it known that I, HARLY S.JOHNSON,

formed therein atone end thereof an opening 24 intermediate its ends andat'the bend thereof isa slot 25; at its opposite end, is found anopening 26 and intermediate the slot 25 and opening 26 a further opening27. Between theslot 25. andopening 24, the lever. rests upon the upperend ofthewall 12, as at 28, and has a'shoulder or lug 29 abutting thiswall. The slot, 25 receives the stop pivot 22. and permits a limitedmovement of the lever upon this sto pivoti i Securedto the liracket 16byone ofthe securing elements 18 thereof is a small bracket 30 having anopening 31in which is engaged one end of a coil spring 32, the oppositeend of. which is engaged in the opening 27of the lever'23 and placesstrain upon this lever so that normally the lever is positioned so thatthe upper end of the wall of the slot engagesthe stop. pivot. To theframe element 11 ofthetruck'12-a cou ler 33 is secured,thiscouplerhaving a hea :34 extending transversely of the frame member.and of the engine and formed'wi'th a longitudinally extending slot 35.Attached to the lever 23 jbym'eans of a bolt 36 extending through theopenin 24-is a bracket.37;having ahorizontally dlrectedjflange38'through which is directed the stem 39 of an eyebolt, the eye, 40of-Which is vertically elongated and engaged through the slot 35 ofthehead 34.. By a securing element directed through the opening 26 aswivel 4 1 isattachedto the lever 23:.and'provides a means for at.taching one end of achain or other suitable flexible element indicatedat42 to the leverq The opposite end ofthis flexible' element engagedinan opening 43 formed infthe handle 44 0f the valve 14. I In theoperation fthe deviceduringnor-l mal positioning of the truck and operaton of the. eng n In mammalia ;."ttgfvalve 3,9

with, the ties of th'eroad bed.

tests to determinewhether the-safety signal.

is, operative. These tests of railway vsafety devices at stated periodsare-usually required either by laws offthe States or of the railwaycompany; When the .truck, 12 leaves the rails, however-,ithta entireweight of the truck is brought to bear ,against the short end of telever by the connection 33, 39, with the result I that the .long endofthe lever is elevated until i the stop- -pi.vot engages the lower endwall of the slot "and checks this movement. ,This stop pivot is, as.disc losed, of heavier. material than that employedfin the constructionof .the eye 40 andhead 3i and accord- 4 ingly any increase in strain,instead of moving the lever, will tend to deform or destroy either theeyeor the head without transmitting this strain to the valve handleinsuch manner as to place/undue strain ,"upon the pipe connections andcause a break of the train line pipe which would forcibly apply the,brakes and possibly; increase the damage caused by the derailment of thetruck. The opening of the 'valve14 by the raising of the long end of thelever '23-will, of course,

operate; the signal amenable the engineer to bring his train to agradual stop and, v ery probably withoutany further damage than thatcaused by theengagement'of the truck Itwill be obvious that thestructure here inbefore set forth is capableof a considerable range ofchange and modification with-;

out materially departing from I the spirit of" c 1 my invention and Iaccordingly do not limit yjselftofsuch specific structure except ashereinafter claimed. s

Iclaim:,

i 1. In a safety device for nami derailment of locomotive trucks and thelike, a

lever pivoted intermediateits ends upon the main frame of thelocomotive, a connection between one end of the lever and the locomotivetruck permitting limited transverse] and vertical movement of,;the truckwithout im parting such movenientsto the lever, comprising a linkconnected to the lever and de pendingfrom the truck and provided uponits lower. end withavertically elongated eye and an arm secured ,to thetruck and pro vided upon its upper end with a transversely extendinghead having a longitudinally extending slot in which the eye is engaged,a connection between the opposite end of the lever and a controlelement, a signal operated from thecoutro'l element and means forlimitlng movement of the lever in a direction to operate the controlelement.

.2. In. a signalling device for indicating derailment of locomotivetrucks or the like, a bracket mounted upon the frame of the locomotive,a lever pivoted on said bracket,- a

member directed through the bracket and engaging the lever to limit thepivotal movement thereof, a signal element movable through a certaindistance, a signal rendered operative by the element-atone limit of itsmovement, means normally {yieldably holding the lever in one position, aconnection between the operating element and the lever shifting theoperating element to the signal operating positionwhen the lever ismoved from its normal position, said limitin-g member checking movementof the lever right angles, a leverpivoted on one of said walls andswinging adjacent'theother of said walls, a member directed through theother wall and engaging the lever .to limit.

the pivotalmovement thereof, "a signal element movable through a certaindistance, a

signal rendered operativeby the element at one limit of its movement,means normally yieldably holding the lever in one position, a connectionbetween the operating element andthe lever shiftingthe operating elementto the signal operating position when the lever is moved fromitsnormalposition, said member directed through said other wall. of saidbracket limiting movement ofthe lever when the operatingmember arrivesat its signal operating position and avconnection between the oppositeend of the lever vand the truck of thelocomotive;

4. In asignalling deviceifor indicating derailment of locomotive trucksor the like, a bracket mounted uponthe frame of the locomotive andincluding walls arranged at right angles, a lever pivoted on, one ofsaid walls and swinging adjacent the-other of said walls, a memberdirected through the other wall and engaging the lever to limit thepivotal movement thereof, a signal ele ment movable through a certaindistance, a signal rendered operative by the element at oneliniit of itsmovement, means normally yieldably-holding the lever in one position,

aconnection between the. operating element and the lever shifting theoperating element to the signal operating position when the lever ismoved from its normal position, said member directed through said otherwall of said bracket limiting movement of the lever when the operatingmember arrives at-its signal operating position and a connection betweenthe opposite end of the lever and the truck of the locomotive, theconnection between the lever and the signal operating member beingflexible to thereby permit manual manipulation of the operating memberto test the signal.

5. In a signalling device for indicating derailment of locomotive trucksor the like, a bracket mounted upon the frame of the locomotive andincluding walls arranged at right angles, a lever pivoted on one of saidwalls and swinging adjacent the other of said walls, a member directedthrough the other wall and engaging the lever to: limit the pivotalmovement thereof, a signal element movable through a certain distance, asignal rendered operative by the element at one limit of its movement,means normally yieldably holding the lever in one position, a connectionbetween the operating element and the lever shifting the operatingelement to the signal operating position when the lever is moved fromits normal position, said member directed through said other wall ofsaid bracket limiting movement of the lever when the operating memberarrives at its signal operating position, a connection between theopposite end of the lever and the truck of the locomotive, comprising alink connected to the lever and depending toward the truck and providedupon its lower end with a vertically elongated eye and an arm secured tothe truck and provided upon its upper end with a transversely extendinghead having a longitudinally extending slot in which the eye is engaged.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

HARLY s. JonNsoN.

